Historic Sites of Manitoba: Anna Gibson School (77 Kelvin Street, Winnipeg)

Link to:
Principals | Vice-Principals | Teachers | Photos & Coordinates | Sources

Anna Gibson School commemorated Anna W. Gibson (1896-1918), the 21-year-old daughter of Winnipeg timber merchant Thomas Gibson, who taught at La Verendrye School. During the 1918-1919 flu pandemic, she volunteered to nurse flu victims at the King George Hospital, contracted flu herself, died on 23 November, and was buried in Elmwood Cemetery.

Built by day labourers in 1919, on a design by local school architect J. B. Mitchell, Anna Gibson school was situated on Kelvin Street, later renamed Henderson Highway. The one-storey, six-classroom structure accommodated students in grades 1 to 5, with those in sixth grade moving to nearby Lord Selkirk School.

Classes were held until 1937, and the building accommodated soldiers during the Second World War. In 1944, it was sold to the Mennonite Brethren Bible College, which used it to train church workers and missionaries, and was later used as a dance studio. In 1985, it was renamed the A. H. Unruh Building in commemoration of the founding President of the College.

The building was demolished during the summer of 2005. A monument stands at the site, made from bricks and dome from the original building.

Principals

Period	Principal
1920-1921	Thomas Edgar Argue (1869-1927) - acting
1921-1937	Jane Augusta Bredin Wilson (1871-1963)

Teachers

School Year	Teachers
1920-1921	?
1921-1922	V. Hefford, Z. Johnson, K. S. McLeod, C. Munshaw
1922-1923	J. Manthorne, V. McIntyre, K. S. McLeod, G. Munshaw
1923-1924	E. Buchanan, V. McIntyre, K. S. McLeod
1924-1925	J. A. Alexander, W. R. Bawden, K. S. McLeod, E. M. Moore
1925-1926	J. A. Alexander, W. R. Bawden, K. S. McLeod, E. M. Moore
1926-1927	J. A. Alexander, W. R. Bawden, K. S. McLeod, E. M. Moore
1927-1928	J. A. Alexander, W. R. Bawden, K. S. McLeod, E. M. Moore
1928-1929	J. A. Alexander, W. R. Bawden, K. S. McLeod, E. M. Moore, M. Pennefather
1929-1930	J. A. Alexander, W. R. Bawden, E. M. Moore, N. M. Wemyss, Rutha Wilson
1930-1931	W. R. Bawden, L. M. Burt, N. M. Wemyss, R. Wilson
1931-1932	W. R. Bawden, S. Silver, N. M. Wemyss, R. Wilson
1932-1933	W. R. Bawden, S. Silver, N. M. Wemyss
1933-1934	W. R. Bawden, G. B. McInnes, N. M. Wemyss
1934-1935	W. R. Bawden, G. B. McInnes, S. Silver
1935-1936	W. R. Bawden, G. B. McInnes
1936-1937	G. B. McInnes

Photos & Coordinates

Anna Gibson School (1919) Source: Winnipeg School Board, Annual Report 1919, Legislative Library of Manitoba. Anna Gibson School Monument (February 2015) Source: Nathan Kramer Site Coordinates (lat/long): N49.91025, W97.11757 denoted by symbol on the map above

See also:

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Children’s Home of Winnipeg / Children’s Home School / Julia Clark School (615 Academy Road, Winnipeg)

Historic Sites of Manitoba: Martin School No. 870 (Kelvin Avenue, Winnipeg)

Sources:

Death registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

“Schools will not open until Monday,” Manitoba Free Press, 26 November 1918, page 5.

“Winnipeg schools, No. 36—Anna Gibson,” Manitoba Free Press, 27 November 1922, page 7.

“Historic Anna Gibson School / A. H. Unruh Building slated for destruction,” Mennonite Historian, 31(2):5, June 2005.

We thank Nathan Kramer for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 6 March 2021

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